Review on Flexible Foreign Worker Quota Calculations for Startups, High-growth Firms and Event-based Staffing Needs Based on Three-month Local Employee Average

Mr Shawn Loh asked the Acting Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry has considered providing more flexibility on foreign worker quota calculations based on the last three-month average number of local employees, particularly for startups, high growth companies, or companies looking to staff up quickly for events or special projects.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) calculates a company's foreign worker quota based on the latest three-month average number of local employees in the company. To support the manpower needs of businesses, MOM exercises flexibility for newly set-up companies by granting foreign worker quota based on the number of local employees in the latest month instead of using a three-month average. On a case-by-case basis, MOM also considers appeals from companies for flexibility in computing foreign worker quota based on the specific circumstances of the company.